Aust, side may visit

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33191, 3 April 1973, Page 16

Aust, side may visit

i The West Australian hockey | team has been invited to play (three matches against Canterbury next month.

Canterbury had extended an invitation on the basis that it; was possible that by May there may be reductions in Tasman air fares; that its sponsor for the season, Trans Tours, Ltd. would handle the Australians’ travel at the cheapest return fare possible. $130; that Canterbury was prepared to subsidise the party at $3O a person; and that players would be billeted, thus at no cost to themselves.

West Australia replied to the | Canterbury management committee meeting last evening that it would be competing in the Australian championships at Hobart in May and that 14 of! its team of 15 would be prepared to come to New Zealand. It pointed out, however, that the, Australian Hockey Association i was holding a three-day training, school for the national team after the championships. It is expected that the West Australian team would be in Canterbury for about a week.

National tournament. — The: Minister of Sport (Mr Walding) will be invited to speak at the' social function to be held during ; the national Challenge Shield tournament in August. The function will also combine the i association’s seventy-fifth anniversary celebrations. The Mayor of Christchurch (Mr Pickering) i will also be invited to the func-! tion.

Affiliation fees. — The chairman (Mr T. I. Crosseni reported that 1 the annual meeting of the New Zealand Hockey Association at | the week-end decided to increase affiliation fees to $12.50 per graded team —an increase of $5.50 on last year. He asked the; finance committee of the Can- ' terbury association Io investigate methods of absorbing the cost as it had promised clubs it would not raise levies until it was established at its new headquarters at Porritt Park.

Soccer.—Ethiopia and Zambia battled out a goal-less draw in the first leg- of their second round qualifying match of the 1974 World Cup soccer competition in Addis Ababa.